


what t̶h̶e̶y̶ we don’t see

by dreamingren



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cannonverse, M/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, headcannons, jaemren, renmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24228619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingren/pseuds/dreamingren
Summary: ever since they were trainees, renjun knew his relationship with jaemin was something special, so, he confessed. but, it didn't turn out as he had hoped. the two stayed friends, but couldn't solidify their friendship as well as they planned, since jaemin suddenly went on hiatus for two comebacks. two years later, and now they're strangers, but jaemin somehow has the courage to provide fanservice towards renjun. the oldest is frustrated by this, especially since in real life their "friendship" is now awkward.looks like renjun is gonna have to take matters into his own hands.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50
Collections: RENMIN FIC FEST: ROUND ONE





	what t̶h̶e̶y̶ we don’t see

**Author's Note:**

> aaaAAAa this is my first fic fest !!! omg im so hyped to read the others, I hope you'll like mine :D  
> hope you enjoy !!

the last song is over, fans cheer and an ocean of green lightsticks are waving desperately. the screams and shouts of joy fill the concert hall, but even though he takes his earpiece out, renjun blocks out all the noise. everything is now in slow motion. he looks around, first at the audience, smiling from ear to ear and tears streaming down their faces. he then gazes at his members, they’re all waving towards each section, crying with the crowd as well. 

feeling a hand intertwined with his own, the older was brought back to reality. at his right, out of all the five members, had to be none other than jaemin. the pink-haired is grinning, managing a tight squeeze onto the shorter’s hand. 

renjun only smiled slightly, and noticed the high pitch in screams found from the fans. on the big screen, was a zoom in of both him and jaemin, which explained the sudden reaction. his smile disappears suddenly, when he realizes the situation and looks back at the taller. jaemin’s dreaded eye smile and soft giggle contrasted renjun’s shock, it was a part of their relationship trope afterall. jaemin always had a tendency to tease the elder, while renjun was more cold and conceded. 

the shorter feels his arm being raised, he shakes out his thoughts as the group does a bow in unison. all six members shout out their final thank yous and waves, walking back to the platform that descends them to the stage’s basement. 

donghyuck jumps off the platform first, to get his well deserved towel and waterbottle. he multitasks by wiping his face and thanking the staff, for all their hard work making the members look their best. jeno, chenle, and jisung follow along. 

jeno chuckles at donghyuck’s actions, “how do you have this much energy after two hours worth of songs?”

donghyuck looks back, flexing his muscles, “i’m just that amazing jeno.” 

the youngers cringe, whilst jeno messes with donghyuck’s hair. 

jaemin jumps off, leaving renjun behind, and meets with the other members. renjun drinks by himself, gently patting his towel to his face and neck. 

looking at the members from afar, he focuses on jaemin. 

_ how should i feel? after all these years, he clings onto me once all eyes are on us, but remembers well that he rejected me.  _

donghyuck notices renjun head for the exit door. 

“hey renjun! we should get drink to celebrate, you coming?” 

“i’ll pass,” renjun grips the handle, “it’s getting late anyways, but thanks for the offer.” 

donghyuck pouts, “renjun is becoming a buzzkill these days.” 

“i don’t think i want to drink either hyuck,” jeno shrugs, “i can’t handle them well, and you can’t take the young ones too.” 

the four of them start leaving for the stairs on the opposite end, which lead to the backstage. jaemin’s feet are planted to the ground, looking at the exit door, lost in thought. 

he wishes he could talk to renjun, even for a second, maybe his mind will be at peace. 

**  
  
**

**_how did things turn out this way?_ **

**  
  
  
**

♡

**  
  
**

“alright, this is the final lineup.” 

seven boys, two chinese members and five korean members. all standing quietly in line, hands behind their backs. 

“your training as a group starts now, you’ll all debut as the next nct unit once you’re ready.” 

the boys look at each other. donghyuck and mark knew each other well obviously, since they’re already in units, in which they have the most experience. renjun made a mental note, he had to work harder in order to stand out. he was sure chenle understood this too, since they were both added in later and around the same time. but then again, he knew chenle was an excellent performer, not to mention he’s loaded. it would make a great story that chenle left his riches behind to pursue a career with a kpop group, people find that humble.

so renjun was alone. 

“renjun right?” 

...or so he thought.

the latter extends his hand, smiling, “i’m jaemin.”

renjun blinks, then takes his hand to shake it. he didn’t know why he felt shy to be honest, he knew that the korean members trained longer than him, but did that mean they were better? should he feel somewhat intimidated?

“hey now, don’t feel nervous. i don’t bite, and i’m not only doing this to improve our chemistry, but we should all be friends too.” 

the younger then introduces jeno, minhyung, and donghyuck. jisung and chenle were playing hand games in a corner, the youngest was also helping him learn korean slang. 

time skip after practice, renjun finds himself in the dorms, alone once more, drawing on sticky notes. he should be studying more korean terms, but two hours was more than enough. 

“wow, you draw so well!” 

renjun nearly jumps, he turns around to see jaemin, his dorm mate. he’s wearing nothing but a towel, rubbing his brown hair with another towel, and standing over renjun. 

“aw, i know that cartoon, is that uh….hold on....” he massages his temples.

“moomin.” renjun replies, quietly.

jaemin snaps his fingers, replying with, “that’s it! moomin!”

“i used to watch that cartoon a lot as a kid, do you want to watch it now?” jaemin grinned.

renjun’s eyes lit up, “we can?”

“there’s a tv,” jaemin points at the small cube behind them, “i’m sure it’s on right now.”

after a change in clothes, the two spent hours laughing, and constantly mentioning, “i remember this part!” or “aw, i loved this episode.” the older would look at jaemin more however, he found his giggling and childish aura to be innocent, cute even. 

when lights were out, renjun had trouble sleeping, and jaemin noticed his shuffling.

“can’t sleep either?” jaemin asks, looking at the ceiling. 

renjun pushes his sheets back, which reached his chest, “yeah.” 

“do you wanna just, talk?” 

“sure.” 

renjun learned that jaemin is a good listener, and he could engage in conversations well instead of replying with “yeah” or “mhm”. they went from alien existence to government conspiracies, ending it with why they wanted to be idols in the first place. 

days continued with the same cycle, some being different due to new schedules, but always ending with renjun and jaemin having conversations with the ambience on. the more they hanged out, the more they got to know each other’s personalities. sure they were opposites at times, but they had the same energy, being playful and goofy. running around playing tag in the practice room, even though renjun didn’t want to in the first place. jaemin always loved teasing him, testing his patience and getting a snarky comment from him after. they would love having alone time too, going out when they didn’t have practice by eating at korean barbeque restaurants. 

weeks turned into months, it all felt so fast to renjun. one minute they’re in the practice rooms on hoverboards, the next they’re about to perform on the mcountdown stage. their chemistry was perfect, their friendship being stronger than before, to the point where they’re comfortable knowing secrets and having the same aspirations. 

now they’re all a nervous wreck, so minhyung decides to come up with a cheer to calm them down. 

“how about we put our hands in first, you know, like a basketball team or something.”

“good thinking troy bolton.” clearly, donghyuck was being sarcastic. 

“and then,” minhyung sticks his tongue out, “i’ll start off with something like, “yo dream!” how’s that?”

“do we respond?” jeno asks, “with what?”

“show them how dope we are, fighting!” donghyuck answers. 

jaemin snickers, “that’s too cheesy.” 

“well we’ve got to think of something.” chenle whines. 

a staff member walks past the boys, “you guys are on in one minute, please hurry to the stage.”

“let’s just go with it!” jisung panics. 

“yo dream!”

“show them how dope we are, fighting!”

renjun dragged behind, playing with the ends of his shirt that was tucked in before. jaemin sees him at the bottom of the steps, and walks towards him. 

“let’s make history renjun.” he holds out his hand. 

renjun looks at his hand for a second, takes it, then follows him up the steps. 

the performance was a success, at their ending pose they knew fans would remember this moment forever. nct dream was the first youngest group at the time, already having an audience who can relate to them, grow with them. the group of seven heaved, still smiling until the lights went out and they were prompted off the stage. 

they were giddy, happily running down backstage and hugging each other. most importantly, they thanked their staff for helping them get ready and perform well. 

as they all settled down in couches to watch a replay of their stage, renjun is standing behind and asks,

“jaemin? can we talk?”

“sure,” jaemin turns around, “what’s up?”

the other members are staring at the shorter, “in private?”

“yeah, let’s go to the bathroom or something.”

renjun’s heart was beating out of his chest, but he had to remind himself to be confident. on their way to the boy’s room, they saw other idols cheering for them.

“you did so well!” they would say, and the two would bow endlessly down the hall. 

thankfully, no one was in the restroom, but renjun checked each stall just in case. 

jaemin found the older’s actions funny, “is it that serious jun?” 

renjun takes a deep breath, facing the taller. 

“jaemin, we’ve been friends for a long time…” 

“and i’m thankful for that.” jaemin smiles. 

“i was wondering...if you’d….um”

renjun takes another deep breath, he can’t believe he’s doing this. he gnaws on his bottom lip for a bit.

“would you like to go out with me?”

the taller’s eye grow wide, his mouth slightly opening to show his bunny teeth. renjun saw this as a bad sign, knowing what jaemin is going to say next. 

“i’m really sorry renjun, i-i can’t… i think it’s best if we stay friends.” 

renjun looks at his shoes.

“i mean, we’re pretty young, don't you think? i feel like i’ve known you my whole life but, this friendship has only begun.”

renjun bites his lip, “i understand.”

“please don’t feel bad jun, i’m just not ready you know? i don’t want a scandal to break out, we just debuted too. i don’t want us to get in trouble, don’t take this to heart.” he puts his hand on renjun’s shoulder. 

“y-yeah, it’s fine, really. i shouldn’t have been so rash, we’re better off as friends.”

jaemin pulls him in for a hug, “i’m sorry.”

renjun hates this, hates this feeling of sorrow, maybe guilt. hates how his eyes are watering and his vision is blurring.

“i need… to go.”

“renjun wait—!”

**  
  
  
**

♡

**  
  
  
**

“nct 2018 is the year all of you will become a unit.”

all seventeen members, including the new three, are all placed in a row, as if they were in the military, their manager pacing up and down the horizontal line. 

“this will be the year all eighteen members will shine, hence the year of course.”

eighteen? but everyone’s here, right?

“i’m sure you’re all wondering where your eighteenth member is. from nct dream, coming back from hiatus, jaemin!”

renjun physically felt his heart drop. it’s been two years since he’s seen him, and those two years weren’t enough. he needed more time, of all the days why now?

jaemin pokes his head out through the entrance of the room, his signature smile brightening the atmosphere. each of the members cheered, as jaemin ran down the line high-fiving each of them. it was as if jaemin was never on hiatus, he didn’t awkwardly greet them, that is until he got to the last member standing. 

feeling like he stared too long, renjun finally got the memo and stuck his hand out once jaemin reached him. to their dismay, jaemin missed his hand, both reactions were flustered. 

“seriously jaemin?” donghyuck giggles, leading to a wildfire of echoed laughter. 

jaemin gives the older a slight smile, making his way to stand on his right. 

“now that everyone is here, we will be exploring new songs, dances, and even concepts. we will truly evolve each and everyone of you, make nctzens new and old interested and stay. we will first work with the three units: u, 127, and dream, then come together as 2018.” 

the members were then given packets of what they will be promoting. 

“this year, we’re standing out, but continuing our sound. 127 and dream’s concepts will be switched. we need a sense of maturity this year, and a new experimental flavor for 127.” 

the dreamies flip through the packet in awe, this song was nothing like what they did in the past. 

“i guess everyone’s into the rebellious concept nowadays.” jeno comments first. 

donghyuck focuses on the lyrics, “we’re so young...we’re so freaky…” 

renjun adds, “i guess since our voices got deeper, the concept becomes sexier. thanks a lot jisung.” 

the seven members laugh in unison, while a confused jisung gapes, “what…?”

jaemin’s smile fades, he never knew how much the members changed, both in appearances and voice. the puffy, innocent renjun he remembered, now had a sharp jawline and nose, with his snaggletooth fixed and slick brown hair. not to mention his confidence, he must have been on plenty reality shows because he’s more witty now. 

the next day started renjun’s and jaemin’s recording session. the older was told to start off first, and his voice sent jaemin through the roof. he didn’t even need a vocal coach anymore, renjun could teach the expert! his first recording already sounded like the final piece, and his adlibs sounded like a siren’s song, trapping you in, wanting more. 

at practices, even renjun’s dancing is precise, not too powerful. it was enough to get anyone who watched caught staring, it was almost effortless. once he was in center right after the first chorus, jaemin felt like renjun was controlling their moves, the music. he owned it, he made the concept his and didn’t have to adapt.

“jaemin,” the choreographer would say, “focus on the beat, don’t slack.” 

“right,” jaemin broke a sweat, “my bad.”

he may have focused on renjun too much. 

renjun may have seen jaemin’s big changes as well. the main being his voice, and god, it was and still is deep. the raspiness could creep up your skin, sending your stomach into a coil, like how a predator is about to pounce on his prey. even his english pronunciation was flawless.

“we have a desire for a better world…” 

he put in emotions for each lyric, giving the mic he was staring at serious looks, as if it did something wrong. 

jaemin worked hard towards dancing too. sure you could say he was behind, but took the time to perfect. when the members were allowed to leave, jaemin wanted to make sure he got the moves and timing right, the passion in his steps left inspiration towards renjun. it made sense though, since jaemin had to learn the choreography to my first and last and we young for future stages. 

both felt like the other was one step ahead, but in reality, both have developed their own persona. what clearly changed was their interactions, thankfully the cameras didn’t film this: 

with a water bottle in hand, jaemin strides up to renjun, “good work today.” 

unfortunately, renjun had earbuds in, so jaemin had to tap his shoulder.

renjun whirls around, “ah, thank the staff for me.” and stared back at his playlist. 

jaemin didn’t need to hear donghyuck’s facepalm, and didn’t need to see jeno’s shrug from behind. 

this was going to be a long promotion. 

yearbook dropped, and so did everyone’s jaws. the album already started off with a bang, it finally felt like all the nintendo characters were added into a new smash game. 2018 was the year that changed it all, with touch, boss, baby don’t stop, go, and black on black. everyone was especially surprised with dream, no more bubbly, cute concepts anymore, the members were maturing.

it also didn’t take long for them to appear of reality shows in order to promote their comeback. jaemin is seen fidgeting a bracelet behind the camera. he was waiting for renjun to arrive from wardrobe and makeup, so he can give him a late birthday present. 

“members to the set please!”

each of the six filed into the set, the staff showing where to sit. once renjun walked in, jaemin’s eyes lit up. he hesitated, but took a breath and walked up to him,

“hey renjun!” 

the older takes a step back, “...hi jaemin, what’s up? we’re on in a few minutes.”

“i uh...got you this late birthday present.”

jaemin hands him a matching silver sterling bracelet, there was a couple copy on his wrist. 

“oh, thank you,” the shorter takes the bracelet and wears it as well, “it’s very pretty.”

“members on the set! jaemin? renjun?” 

“i’ll get going.” renjun scratched his head. 

jaemin followed, “me too. er, i mean yeah let’s go.”

the tension behind cameras were too real, but the atmosphere changed once they were pointed at the group. since jaemin is known to be his playful self towards their fans, he had a stroke of confidence. 

“i bought him a bracelet!” 

renjun’s heart dropped, eyes wide.  _ he does know we’re live right? _

“it’s a couple bracelet.” jaemin added, smiling wide. 

he started holding out his hand, in which renjun had to follow for the whole world to see. they were matching alright, and renjun guessed that he had to wear it all the time now that everyone knows. 

this same routine continued, and renjun felt more confused by the second. a fancam is pointed, jaemin dramatically turns to stare lovingly into his eyes. a week later they’re invited to another interview, jaemin stares once more. a vlive, there he is again! staring, touching his hair, sniffing him, being all soft and touchy. smiling with his little teases once renjun raised a brow, he was frustrated. why was he suddenly obsessed with him now? to make up for loss time? but back in the dorms, why was he shy? he sees him down the hall in a glimpse and jaemin shifts his speed towards his location. 

everytime he spots a camera he’s snuggled up close to renjun, will he ever know when he’ll stop? 

sometimes, like the good ol’ days, they would eat out together when they were free. this was when renjun can finally get to know jaemin a little better, but renjun was always the one to set up dates. as one would guess, it was awkward everytime. there were times where they would just sit in complete silence, looking around the restaurant. 

why did renjun have to start conversation with icebreakers? it felt as if they were just meeting, and now we go up promotions have started. 

it was their turn for the dream vs. dream segment, and out of all the members why did the directors want him and jaemin to play… 

“you just gave me a question with mark in it,” jaemin complains, “but i’ve thought of you and put your name in all of my questions. then your question was, ‘what did mark say to me at the first encounter?’” 

oh how renjun wanted to snap,  _ you barely know me! _

sure the questions about themselves are pretty detailed, but it was a time when they were still rookies and felt comfortable with each other.

but renjun bottled it all in, he couldn’t just explode out of nowhere or jaemin will fire back. 

he was stuck, every engagement they had, every behind the scenes of each video shoot. jaemin would always be there, to snake his arm over his shoulder, to hug him from behind. in live streams such as save dream, jaemin didn’t hold back on interactions. every fan knew he was the most touchy with renjun, to his dismay. 

every cheek pinch, every hand grab, every silly little dance they did together.  _ giving him tiny kisses into his hair. the back of his head people!  _ he didn’t know if he could take this much longer. 

what if this was all a lie? to just tease him and play with his feelings, to torment him and make him mad. jaemin is the teasing type afterall, what if he secretly hates him? 

since these wild thoughts, renjun told himself, enough was enough. it’s time for the cold shoulder. when jaemin’s hand reaches for his shoulder, he’ll move away. he’d change his own position, flick the taller’s hand off, even switch places. he wasn’t going to play his game or fall for his tricks. he’s stone cold.

but the younger would find a way around his tactics. and renjun would sometimes fall for it, he hated being so naive, smiling when he does. he would mentally slap himself once he did. renjun didn’t want to seem that easy, but he couldn’t help it. 

the soft cheeks would scrunch up his face, with his eyes forming crescents and deep laughter. 

**  
  
  
  
**

now that the final tour date is over, renjun finds himself walking away with the memories, reminding himself to call for a cab. this was the first time where he wasn’t going to hangout with his friends, it was “out-of-character” towards the other members. but he just felt tired, wanted a change of scenery, wanted to be alone. 

but out of nowhere he’s hearing steps behind him, desperately loud ones swirled with hitches of breath. renjun shoves his hands into his jeans, trying to ignore who was coming, because he had a hunch for who it is. 

and he was right. it’s a one out of six chance, but he was right. 

“renjun! renjun can we talk?” 

he stops his pace for the familiar pink-haired to catch up. 

he then turns around to look up, rubbing an eye, “what’s up?”

the taller clasps his hands, “well, um, you sure you don’t want to grab a drink?”

_ seriously? is this really why he’s so tense? _

“no, i just want to be alone right now, head back to the dorms…” renjun trails his words.

“oh,” jaemin scratches his head, “yeah, cool. that’s fine.”

just before they both turn and walk away, “is that… really all you wanted to talk about?” 

jaemin stiffens, “um, yeah. see ya later.” 

the older could have just walked away, but this bothered him to his limit. 

“no, jaemin, you did. and i did too. there’s something wrong with our relationship.”

the younger only stares, dumbfounded, “there is?”

“yes there is! jaemin, why are we like this?! why is there so much tension?! one minute you cling onto me, and the next we’re suddenly strangers! it’s like i can’t talk to you personally, i’m even the one starting up conversations.”

“renjun…” 

“ever since you told me we should stay friends was when things started to get rough. and then you went on hiatus, and then we couldn’t talk or hangout… was it…was it me?” 

jaemin’s eyes grow wide, “no, no it’s not. i just, couldn’t reciprocate your feelings because i was scared.”

renjun feels his heart drop, “you liked me this whole time? you... lied? 

the younger cursed in his head, “i… i did, i’m really sorry.”

“why didn’t you tell me honestly?” 

“i just… we were still teens, and i didn’t know anything about dating at the time, what if i screw up? what if i break your heart, i don’t want to hurt you.” 

renjun trails his words, “you’ve got to be kidding…” 

the older turns around to continue walking, but jaemin reaches for his hand.

“renjun please trust me,” the taller pleads, “i don’t want to mess things up.” 

“well...well you already have!” the shorter fires back, “out of all the times you could’ve said something to me, why now. why do i have to be the one realizing, is this gonna be how it is if we actually date?” 

the pink haired opens then closes his mouth, he’s at a loss of words. 

renjun sighs, “see that’s what i thought.” 

the shorter yanks his arm back, picking up his pace to make sure jaemin didn’t follow. he wants to make it clear that he needs to be alone. 

jaemin felt the corners of his eyelids burn up, was he really crying? he doesn’t know where to go from here, he’s been left under a streetpost like a puppy on a doorstep. if he went back with the group, they’ll notice what’s wrong with him easily. 

maybe he just needs alone time too. 

**  
  
  
  
**

donghyuck absolutely hates this. the members are having some free time, interacting with each other, all except a silent renjun and jaemin. they’re both in their own little corners, twidling through their phones. 

he calls jeno, whispering, “what’s up with them?” 

“you haven’t noticed?” jeno takes his lollipop out of his mouth, “they’ve been like this for three days.” 

“and you didn’t tell me?” donghyuck crosses his arms. 

jeno sticks the sucker back in his mouth, shrugging and going back to the game on his phone. 

“ugh, you are all impossible without me,” donghyuck ruffles his hair in annoyance, “renjun! jaemin! i want you both to stand up and face me.” 

they both groan once they stand, and renjun frowns, “in what, thumb wrestling?”

donghyuck ignores him, “why aren’t you too talking with the rest of us? or even yourselves, did you two fight or something?” 

jaemin doesn’t want to deal with this, “can’t you just mind your own business hyuckie?” 

donghyuck clicks his tounge, rolling his eyes, “this  **is** my business! we’re a team, and if two people in this case are going through shit, we do too.” 

“they were fighting yesterday.” 

they whirl around finding jisung on the couch playing with his switch, the two mentally panic.

jisung continues, “i wanted to check up on jaemin, i thought he was constipated since he said he was going to the bathroom. but the backdoor next to it was opened, and i heard voices.” 

“you eavesdropped?” the oldest’s eyes are wide, “i can’t trust anyone in this group!” 

jaemin exasperates, tugging on his hair, “i said i was sorry!” 

renjun shifts to a matter-of-factly tone, making jaemin’s skin crawl, “for what? you already did what you were afraid of, breaking my heart, screwing up, hurting me.”

“i didn’t mean to lie, you and i both know we weren’t ready at the time.” 

“well we could have at least tried!” 

jaemin presses his lips, he didn’t know what else to say. 

“if you really liked me, you could’ve taken the risk. what are you  _ really _ afraid of?!”

the younger lowers his voice, in a calmer tone, “that now, you wouldn’t like me back.” 

the shorter steps back, eyes still locked on him. 

“you wanna know why i do it, do fanservice with you the most? it’s because it’s my coping mechanism, the only way i can truly express how i feel. yes, i rejected you in the past, and yes i left, but it was my only way for making up for lost time. i know i’m awkward, and i’m still learning how to talk to you, how to be as confident and playful as you. god, why do we focus so much on the past?” 

jaemin is sniffling on the last sentence, giggling at its irony. he’s now a crying, laughing mess, wiping as much tears as he could. he didn’t care if he was being vulnerable right at this second. 

he couldn’t see what was happening, but he felt a tinier body rush up in front of him, squeezing him into a hug. 

the shorter’s little hands are gripping on the back of jaemin’s shirt, chin on his shoulder. 

“why do you never tell me these things...idiot.” renjun’s sniffing uncontrolably too. 

“i’m sorry.” jaemin hics, sobbing down renjun’s back. he slowly hugs back as well, unsure if renjun was uncomfortable or not. 

the older retracts to reach his cheeks, swiping off stray tears, and chuckling, “why are you crying? don’t cry.” 

jaemin laughs at this as well, “why are you?” 

“you did first,” renjun is wiping his eyes now, “that wasn’t so hard telling me, was it?”

the younger changes his expression to a pout, “you’re not mad?” 

“i’m not mad anymore, silly,” renjun smiles, “so… you still like me?”

jaemin presses his own lips once more, feeling a rush on his cheeks, “maybe…” 

“okay what the fuck is going on.” donghyuck’s face is now in disgust, while the other members in the background are in hysterics. 

**  
  
  
**

♡

**  
  
  
  
**

they both knew they had feelings for each other from that point on, but decided to take it slow. days and months were filled with picnics, carnival dates, movie nights, and sneaking out for late night ice cream. 

it was eventually recognized how close the two were, and after pleading with their managers and staff, they got the green light to their cooking show. on their first episode, they were as excited as ever, especially jaemin, who asked for an extra shot of espresso that afternoon. the two decided to make renjun’s favorite dish, hotpot, with a kick of spice. (jaemin added a chili pepper without renjun noticing). 

the two finished the video strong, signing off with another “kyuu!” and little waves at the camera. even though their energy started to fade, they felt exhilarated, jumping in to hug each other. they were excited for the fans’ reactions. 

a slow clap was heard backstage, two figures entered the studio. 

“well, well, well, if it isn’t donghyuckie and jeno.” renjun grinned. 

“the video was great!” donghyuck began, “but, hotpot on the hottest day of the year?”

“renjun likes to eat hotpot whenever he pleases.” jaemin shrugs. 

“you guys down to get some snacks? if you’re still hungry of course.” jeno asked. 

donghyuck winked, “ya know… like a double date?” 

the oldest’s mouth made a surprised “o” shape, “donghyuck!” 

jaemin giggles, “how did you know haechannie?” he linked renjun’s arm with his own. 

the shorter looks up within his eyes, jaemin’s boldness made his stomach do somersaults. 

“what are you so afraid of?” jaemin leans in, noses nearly touching. 

renjun chews on his lip, while donghyuck interrupts, 

“gross. well jeno,” he snakes his own arm to hold jeno’s hand, “buy parfaits for us?” 

“what? why me?” 

“i told ya today’s the day renjun and jaemin will get together.” 

donghyuck skipped off and out of the set with his boyfriend, leaving a confused jaemin and renjun behind. 

renjun glanced up at him once more, “well then… would this be considered our first date?” 

jaemin beamed, “i thought you’d never ask.” 

**  
  
  
  
**

♡

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**Author's Note:**

> hellooo  
> the ending is poo poo I know :')  
> you know happy endings are my weakness


End file.
